Fish Factor: Canadian gold and copper mines threaten salmon rivers in Southeast Alaska Throughout history, arguments over land and water usages have run the gamut from tussles over fences with next-door neighbors to shootouts over inter-state grazing rights in the Old West. But when land and water rights pit one country against another, that’s when things really get tricky. That is the situation in Southeast Alaska, where residents find themselves downstream from several massive open-pit gold and co...

Celestial Seasonings’ tea delivers the zingIn 1976, I lived in a small 2-bedroom apartment in north Seattle, one block from Green Lake. My roommate, Cathy Childs, was 15 years older than me. She had long blonde hair (with split-ends that I thought needed trimming), drove a Volkswagen Beetle (too fast), ate brown rice with tamari, put yogurt on her granola and drank a lot of Celestial Seasonings’ Red Zinger tea. For me, Cathy was a new pair of glasses. She ...

Cucumbers in KodiakKodiak has a fishery that many people may not know about: Parastichopus Californicus, commonly referred to as the red sea cucumber. It kind of looks like a cucumber, except the wrong color. It’s red and while it looks prickly with spines, the spines are actually soft and not dangerous. In fact, the Alaska Fisheries Science Center’s Kodiak Laboratory has two types of cucumbers in both its aquarium and touch tank. A...

Prep picks: Gimzo dealing with Seattle lossGizmo and I are both baffled at the recent play of the Seattle Seahawks. The defending champions are on a two-game losing streak, which has put the pup in a foul mood. The lack of pass rush — Seattle only has seven sacks in six games as apposed to 17 at this time last season — has turned Gizmo into a real grouch. I nearly lost my hand Thursday morning when I woke him up for his morning walk. I guess he was probabl...

KHS spikers head to Service/Dimond tourneyKodiak High participates in its final regular-season volleyball tournament today and Saturday in Anchorage. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bears. Kodiak still has several of its varsity players out healing from injuries or sickness as it enters today’s Service/Dimond Tournament, which they finished second in last season. “With all of the craziness we have had go on in our lineup, we are still t...

Historical society holds 60th annual meetingThe Kodiak Historical Society chose new board members and received an update from Baranov Museum executive director Tiffany Brunson at Thursday’s annual meeting. Three seats on the nine-member board were up for re-election. President Michael Bach and Marie Acemah left the board, while Victoria Woodward decided to stand for re-election. Woodward, Katie Baxter and Deborah Carver were chosen as new board members. The...

COMMSTA stays haunted, no matter how you spell itHaunted COMMSTA spells terror no more. Well, for an hour, at least. A mere mention of Haunted COMMSTA used to trigger images of terror among those who’ve paid a visit. Parents became fidgety. This year, parents can relax knowing that Haunted COMMSTA will have a child-friendly hour for the first time. Haunted COMMSTA, a two-day event at the basement of Communication Station Kodiak, kicks off Halloween activities in...